TWO DIANAS IN ALASKA 91 



is taught by priests of the Russian Church in certain 

 districts. 



It is a noticeable fact that except amongst the 

 Northern tribes of Eskimo, the majority of native 

 settlements past and present are situated on or very 

 near the coast. This may probably be attributed to 

 the fact that the one staple food amongst the inhabit- 

 ants has for centuries been fish. In spring, or early 

 summer, the ocean supplied their needs, and later the 

 countless salmon running up the various rivers were 

 easily captured and dried for winter use. In recent 

 times the purchase of firearms by natives has become 

 a real menace to all forms of game in the country. 

 Bears, moose, caribou, seals, and other forms of fur- 

 bearing animals supplied them with their clothing, 

 and formerly, when armed with primitive weapons 

 of their own construction, these animals were in no 

 danger of extermination. But, alas, to-day the use 

 of firearms, traps, and the more villainous poison, 

 have wrought havoc and destruction in the numbers 

 of both the great and small mammals throughout the 

 country. No longer are even the hardy, keen-eyed 

 mountain sheep immune from ruthless slaughter by 

 those men armed with modern weapons of destruc- 

 tion, and many boatloads of these fine animals' 

 carcasses are annually brought down from the moun- 

 tains by the rivers. 



At present the American Government is wisely 

 making strenuous efforts to put down the sale of 

 hides, or heads, of the big game, in which consider- 

 able traffic has recently been done by natives, and a 



